Packaging Shortage Faced by Ethiopia's Agro-Processing Sector

The fast growing agro-processing industry in Ethiopia is facing a major packaging shortage, a government official said last week.   "Even though agro-processing has been growing rapidly in the past few years, the packaging industry is lagging behind," said Mebratu Meles, State Minister of Industry, while speaking to delegates from German companies that specialise in foodstuff packaging.   The government has been promoting investment in agro-processing as a key.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

U.S.$4.5 Million Donated by GNPC for Construction of Sickle Cell Center in Ghana

The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has presented a cheque of $4.5 million to the Sickle Cell Foundation, towards the construction of a Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Treatment and Research at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.   Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic disease with frequent attacks of debilitating pain ('crisis'), with many complications, including anaemia, stroke, infections, and ultimately, early death. It is.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

Council to Install 10 000 Solar Lights in Zimbabwe

HARARE City Council will install 10 000 solar streets lights by year end as it moves to become a world class city by 2020, Acting Town Clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube has said.   In an interview, Mrs Ncube said council had engaged companies to work on the project.   "The solar street lighting project is a very active project which we are excited about because it is going to enable us to light up the city in an affordable way.   "The project is in two phases..... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 14th March 2016

Tanzania Announce discovery of additional 2.17 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural gas

 Tanzania has discovered an additional 2.17 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of possible natural gas deposits, raising the east African nation’s total estimated recoverable natural gas reserves to more than 57 tcf, local media reported on Thursday. The onshore reserves were found at a field licensed to the United Arab Emirates’ Dodsal Group located at Ruvu basin in Coast region, near the country’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, the state-run Daily News.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

New Reservoir discovery makes ‘Africa Oil’ stronger in Kenya Oil sector

 Africa Oil announced that the Etom-2 well in Block 13T in northern Kenya has discovered 102 metres of net oil pay. The company in a press statement indicated that Oil samples, sidewall cores and wire line logging all indicate the presence of high API oil in the best quality reservoir encountered in the South Lokichar Basin to date. Additional prospectivity identified on the 3D seismic in the Etom Field area and in the northern portion of the basin, including the Erut and Elim.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

ZCDC Commences Diamond Mining Operations in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company has commenced operations with over 100 000 carats having been mined two months after operations started. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said yesterday that all revenue proceeds from the mining activities of the merged company will now accrue to Treasury. This is in spite the fact that three companies opposed to the consolidation of diamond mining companies have gone to court to challenge Government's decision.The companies that have taken.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

Triton Minerals to Develop Graphite Mine in Mozambique

The Australian mining company Triton Minerals, which holds the rights to graphite and vanadium deposits in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, announced on 1 March that it is to focus on developing its graphite deposits at Ancuabe.   The deposit is expected to be the source of premium graphite flakes. Triton states that "initial flotation test work of Ancuabe material has returned some of the highest concentrations of jumbo and super jumbo flake graphite ever.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

South Africa : Durban Proposed to Get Africa's Tallest Building

A private company has proposed constructing the tallest building in Africa and in the Southern Hemisphere, the eThekwini Municipality said.   Municipal spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa said the concept of the Durban Iconic Tower was presented to the economic development and planning committee on Wednesday.   She said no final decision had been made yet as the project was still just a proposal.   "A consultation process with affected communities and stakeholders is.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

Kiwi Company Wins Contract to Underpin East Africa Solar Revolution

Auckland, 10 March 2016 - Promapp, the Auckland-headquartered provider of business process management software, has announced a new contract win with UK-headquartered BBOXX to supply its market leading software in support of the rollout of solar power throughout Africa.   BBOXX offers an on-grid experience in an off-grid world powered through a unique financing model to sell solar systems to the mass market on a monthly payment plan. While its finance and engineering operations.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

East African countries to get $140m fund to finance power production projects

A fund was launched to finance power production projects using thermal energy underground in countries of East Africa with a capital of $140m, according to the Africa-EU Commissioner for Energy and Infrastructure Elham Ibrahim.   Ibrahim explained that the fund’s capital consists of contributions from member countries, including some EU countries, worth $30m. Germany’s contributions are worth $20m, and England’s £47m.   She added that the fund.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 11th March 2016

Kenya signs $408 million loan with Japan for 140 MW geothermal plant

6 billion yen ($408 million) loan agreement to go towards building a 140 megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant that is expected to be operational within the next two years, the two governments said. Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.The plant, know as Olkaria V, will be built by Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), which has said it expects to begin construction in July, with the plant arriving on the grid by the end of 2018. The plant is part of KenGen's plans to add.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 10th March 2016

OVERVIEW OF UGANDA’S 60,000 BARREL REFINERY PROJECT

 The refinery project is the child of the National Oil and Gas Policy (2008) for Uganda (objective 4) which seeks to promote valuable utilisation of the country’s oil and gas resources through in-country refining of crude oil.   The project is guided by the a Refinery Development Programme (RDP) formulated by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and is in line with the East African Regional Refineries Development Strategy, adopted by the EAC Partner States.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 10th March 2016